Novel Score for Stratifying Risk of Critical Care Needs in Intracerebral Hemorrhage Patients: Critical Care Needs in ICH

Objective: To develop a risk prediction score identifying intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) patients at low risk for critical care.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data of 451 ICH patients between 2010-2018. The sample was randomly divided in a development and a validation cohort. Logistic regression was used to develop a risk score by weighting independent predictors of ICU needs based on strength of association. The risk score was tested in the validation cohort, and externally validated in a dataset from another institution.

Results: The rate of ICU interventions was 80.3%. Systolic blood pressure (SBP), Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), and ICH volume were independent predictors of critical care, resulting in the following point assignments for the INtensive care TRiaging IN Spontaneous IntraCerebral hemorrhage (INTRINSIC) score: SBP 160-190 mm Hg (1 point), SBP >190 mm Hg (3 points); GCS 8-13 (1 point), GCS <8 (3 points); ICH volume 16-40 cm³ (1 point), ICH volume >40 cm³ (2 points); and presence of IVH (1 point), with values ranging between 0-9. Among patients with a score of 0 and no ICU needs during their emergency department stay, 93.6% remained without critical care needs. In an external validation cohort of ICH patients, the INTRINSIC score achieved an AUC of 0.823 (95% CI 0.782-0.863). A score <2 predicted absence of critical care needs with 48.5% sensitivity and 88.5% specificity, and a score <3 predicted absence of critical care needs with 61.7% sensitivity and 83.0% specificity.

Conclusion: The INTRINSIC score identifies ICH patients at low risk for critical care interventions.

Classification of Evidence: This study provides Class II evidence that the INTRINSIC score identifies ICH patients at low risk for critical care interventions.